Excruciating deathfordogs
It can lead to a deadly condition called gastric dilatation-volvulus, which sees the stomach of the animal twisted.
The condition can kill within an hour.
Overfeeding is also a contravention of the Animal Welfare Act of 2006.
Penalties for breaking that law include fines and jail.
Other trainers who have admitted overfeeding animals in the past to rig races include former well-respected trainer Lennie Knell.
In 2001, London-based Knell was banned from racing for life for admitting the same offence in a BBC expose.
Balmain insisted to us he wouldn’t use drugs on his racing animals.
He said: “I don’t pill them but a lot of them pill them.”
However, that flies in the face of what authorities believe.
Earlier this year, organisations including Police Scotland raided the farm and kennels Balmain calls home near Kirkcaldy, Fife.
They found a host of unlicensed veterinary medication there and banned substances in his kennels.
Following the raid, Balmain was slapped with a welfare notice ordering him to clean up the kennels, which he and wife Martha also sell puppies from.
Their puppy-breeding business comes despite Martha serving a lifetime ban for keeping animals, imposed at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
In 2012 she was taken to court after her mistreatment of a 10-yearold pony called Smudge was discovered to be so severe it had to be put down.
Despite the nature of the offence, the sheriff allowed the couple to keep dogs.
That allows Balmain to keep training racing dogs from his kennels.
Balmain – who isn’t registered with the GBGB – also told our reporter greyhound racing at Scotland’s flapping tracks was heavily linked to organised crime.
“It’s corrupt but it’s only as corrupt as how you make it,” he told our undercover reporter.
He admitted the cash-rich business allows gangsters to easily launder the proceeds of illegal drug sales.
Balmain also admitted that previous champion dogs unable to race were discarded like rubbish.
Talking about a pedigree dog worth £4000 that broke its leg at a race in Fife last month, Balmain said: “That was £4000 down the drain.”
Because of the injury, the dog “had to be put down”.
Last night, campaigners said it was time to pull the plug on the sport.
Jordi Casamitjana, of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “We welcome The Sunday Post’s investigation, which casts more light into the murkiness of the greyhound racing industry.
“As repeated attempts to reform it have all failed, the League Against Cruel Sports has reluctantly come to the view that the industry should be actively phased out leading to a complete ban on greyhound racing across the UK.
“We have
called
for
an OVERFEEDING can lead to a fast but excruciating death for greyhounds.
Male greyhounds are particularly susceptible to a lethal condition that vets term a “gastric dilation-volvulus”, which is basically caused by a build up of gas in the stomach.
It can’t be released by a dog’s intestinal system, the stomach and bowels fill up and then twist.
If not treated promptly, dogs can die within an hour.
The condition is considered as deadly to dogs as cancer.
The two main causes are excessive eating and drinking, followed by vigorous exercise.
That’s what makes it so dangerous in racing dogs, as they need to be constantly exercised.
According to the charity Greyhounds In Need, a twisted stomach is a “nightmare” for vets.
“It is very difficult to treat successfully,” the charity says.
“In fact, only 60-70% of dogs that develop it will survive.”
And advice website vethelpdirect.com says dogs can appear quite normal one minute but once symptoms start they quickly get worse. Owners are advised to feed large dogs two or three small meals every day to avoid the
complication. independent regulator, the mandatory publication of track-level injury data, a central database for tracking dogs from birth, to retirement, to death as well as making it a requirement to rehome racing greyhounds.
“But over the many years that we have held this position, the industry has failed to reform itself and failed to be reformed by government.
“Meanwhile, greyhound racing worldwide has faced strong criticism, leading to a ban on the sport in much of the United States, in Argentina, in South Africa, and in Jamaica. The reality is that the UK has fallen behind international standards for greyhound racing.”
Balmain was unavailable for comment last week.
We spoke on the phone to wife Martha, who said: “We don’t overfeed dogs and we don’t dope them.”